The film Jared Leto claims has seen over 700 times: “One of my favourite movies of all time”
Blade Runner is seen as one of the crowning achievements of director Ridley Scott, tapping into the isolation of a modern world that has become disillusioned by the promises of modernity with his take on the dystopian epic. Praised for breaking technical boundaries at the time and shaping the scope of future films, Blade Runner is a beloved classic among many film lovers that changed the landscape of science fiction as we know it. And after starring in the 2017 sequel of the film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, Jared Leto was the first to praise the original and the unique effect it had on him.
After making a name for himself through his deeply serious commitment to method acting and immersion in each character, Leto has become an unfamiliar face in each of his projects, drastically changing his appearance to suit the demands of each role. In films like Requiem for a Dream, American Psycho, Dallas Buyers Club and Suicide Squad, Leto allows himself to dwell in extreme feelings and characters, never shying away from a challenge and finding inspiration in the most unlikely places.
Despite working with an overwhelming number of great directors, Leto shared that he was most excited by the opportunity to work with Villeneuve on the Blade Runner sequel after having watched the original over 700 times, saying, “Blade Runner [2049] was really a special one. I’m having these opportunities. I think it’s just confirmation that we’re living in a simulation because Blade Runner, one of my favorite movies of all time, watched it 700 times at least. And then I end up in the sequel, very strange”.
There is a distinctly re-watchable quality to the film, with a breathtaking visual style that takes the Blade Runner universe to new heights, creating something that feels immersive and transcendental in the sheer scope of what it achieves. For this very reason, it is a movie that many people revisit, wanting to live in the expansiveness of this fantasy world, purely because of how mysterious and enticing it looks.
Blade Runner 2049 takes place 30 years after the events of the first film, with Harrison Ford reprising his role alongside Ryan Gosling, with Gosling’s character unearthing a secret hidden in the dystopian Los Angeles landscape that leads him to seek out the former LAPD officer played by Harrison.
Leto plays Niander Wallace in the movie. He is the powerful leader of a corporation that creates ‘replicants’, the human-like robots that dominate their futuristic world. His character is chilling and alarmingly quiet, corrupted by his obsession with treating people as resources and mining them for profit.
Blade Runner 2049 is a lasting inspiration to many, and its impact can be felt in Villeneuve’s later work too, with Dune replicating a similar scale to his 2017 film and expanding the rules of the science fiction/fantasy universe. Villeneuve is currently working on the third and final instalment to this trilogy, with many people waiting with baited breath to see how he can possibly exceed the power of his earlier work.
